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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Single mothers have played an important role in |
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Texas throughout the history of the Lone Star State and continue to |
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be a dynamic force in society; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1807, when Elizabeth Paxton Houston was left a |
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widow with nine children, she moved her brood west from Virginia to |
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a new home in Tennessee; the fifth son of this stalwart pioneer |
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woman, Sam Houston, became a Texas hero as a victor in battle, the |
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first president of the republic, and governor of the state; and |
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WHEREAS, Many prominent Texans have been raised by single |
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mothers; the multifaceted country music star and businessman Jimmy |
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Dean dedicated his autobiography and the hit song "I.O.U." to his |
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mother, Ruth Taylor Dean, whom he called "the toughest lady I've |
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ever known"; she supported her family as a barber and taught her |
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musical son to play piano; a more contemporary hit-maker, Norah |
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Jones, was raised by her mother, Susan, in the Dallas area; and |
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WHEREAS, News anchor Sam Donaldson, born after the death of |
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his father, was blessed with a strong, caring mother who taught him |
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to read and encouraged his interest in current events and higher |
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education; Chloe Donaldson ran the family's cotton and dairy farm |
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and drove her son 25 miles each way to and from school every day; and |
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WHEREAS, One of seven children, boxing great George Foreman |
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was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs, earning as little |
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as $26 a week; other successful Lone Star athletes brought up by |
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single mothers include Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and |
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Olympic medalist Sheryl Swoopes; Ms. Swoopes, who became a star of |
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the WNBA as a new single mother herself, shared her uplifting story |
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in the book Bounce Back; moreover, she created a foundation to |
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educate and empower young people; and |
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WHEREAS, The irrepressible Mary Kay Ash became a role model |
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for all women as the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics; married at 17, |
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she raised three children on her own after her marriage ended; she |
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quit her job as a national training director when her employer |
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promoted her assistant over her at a higher salary, and in 1963, she |
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sank $5,000 in savings into a venture that would become a |
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billion-dollar powerhouse; through her company, she helped |
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countless other women to follow their dreams; and |
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WHEREAS, For decades, researchers followed the conventional |
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wisdom that children from single-parent families are prone to |
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experience difficulties in later life; more recent studies, |
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however, have shown that the risk of a negative outcome correlates |
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more strongly with a lack of adequate socioeconomic resources than |
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with the absence of one parent; moreover, whether children are |
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raised by one or two parents, crucial factors include a harmonious |
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home environment and the quality of the relationship between parent |
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and child; and |
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WHEREAS, Mothers without partners juggle multiple roles and |
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responsibilities on a daily basis, but they meet their unique |
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challenges with selfless grace, wisdom, and love, demonstrating |
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strength that is an enduring legacy for their children and an |
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inspiration to all; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the single mothers of Texas and commend |
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them for their outstanding contributions. |
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McClendon |
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| Alvarado |
Gonzales |
Miller of Comal |
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| Anchia |
Gonzalez Toureilles |
Miller of Erath |
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| Aycock |
Gutierrez |
Morrison |
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| Branch |
Harper-Brown |
Ortiz, Jr. |
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| Brown of Kaufman |
Hartnett |
Otto |
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| Brown of Brazos |
Heflin |
Parker |
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| Callegari |
Hilderbran |
Peña |
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| Cohen |
Howard of Fort Bend |
Quintanilla |
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| Coleman |
Howard of Travis |
Raymond |
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| Craddick |
Jackson |
Rodriguez |
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| Crownover |
Keffer |
Sheffield |
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| Davis of Harris |
King of Parker |
Smith of Tarrant |
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| Davis of Dallas |
King of Taylor |
Smith of Harris |
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| Deshotel |
King of Zavala |
Smithee |
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| Driver |
Kleinschmidt |
Solomons |
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| Eiland |
Leibowitz |
Thompson |
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| Elkins |
Lucio III |
Turner of Tarrant |
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| England |
Madden |
Turner of Harris |
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| Farias |
Mallory Caraway |
Veasey |
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| Farrar |
Marquez |
Villarreal |
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| Flores |
Martinez Fischer |
Walle |
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| Gallego |
McReynolds |
Zerwas |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 378 was adopted by the House on |
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February 26, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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